Art Drama

This audiobook is ideal for anyone keen to understand how contemporary plays and playwrights work, particularly those wanting to listen to the stage themselves. Drawing heavily on contemporary practice, it considers moments from a range of plays, with a focus on those from the National Theatre's repertoire. The audiobook embraces a range of different dramaturgical structures and styles popular today; plays by a diverse selection of writers; and the current openness of dramatic form.

Had I become disenchanted with the form I had once fallen so madly in love with as a pubescent, pimple-faced suburban homo with braces? Maybe theatre was like an all-consuming high school infatuation that now, ten years later, I saw as the closeted balding guy with a beer gut he’d become. There were of course those rare moments of transcendence that kept me coming back. But why did they come so few and far between?

In this exciting prequel to the critically acclaimed Dane Curse, a pair of black capes are found dead on the floor of Wentorf Hall, mere inches away from the world’s largest diamond. Of course the cops think the pair killed each other over the heist. After all, everyone knows that the Vandenberg Coconut is a one size fits all motivation for murder. Everyone, that is, except for Dane Curse. But when the former villain turned PI takes the case he’ll discover that the truth has more sides than a diamond has facets. And in order to get to it Dane will follow a trail that leads through an ...

Bassiano, a noble Venetian, hopes to woo the beautiful heiress Portia. However, he requires financial assistance from his friend Antonio. Antonio agrees, but he, in turn, must borrow from the Jewish moneylender Shylock. As recourse for past ills, Shylock stipulates that the forfeit on the loan must be a pound of Antonio’s flesh. In the most renowned onstage law scene of all time, Portia proves herself one of Shakespeare’s most cunning heroines, disguising herself as a lawyer and vanquishing Shylock’s claims....

A Scottish meteorologist locks horns with his American counterpart as both men try to convince General Dwight D. Eisenhower that they can accurately predict the atmospheric conditions needed to launch the greatest amphibious assault in the history of mankind - the D-Day invasion.

Unravel the history, themes, and language of Shakespeare's plays, poems, and sonnets with this beautiful guide to his life and works. Comedy and romance, history, and tragedy, Shakespeare's canon has it all. Some 400 years after they were written and first performed, his works remain fresh and relevant today. Shakespeare: his life and works is an accessible and lavish celebration of the Bard himself and his 39 plays, great sonnets, and narrative poems.

Judith Anderson and Anthony Quayle perform Medea, an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides. It is based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed her for another woman.

With his Broadway dreams derailed after a car accident leaves him visibly scarred and plagued with panic attacks, 17-year-old Erik Patko is forced to transfer to a private school in New Jersey where the only bright spot is reuniting with his childhood sweetheart. Trying to bolster his confidence, the effusive Evie convinces him to audition for the drama club production of The Russian Princess. He lands the lead, but with Evie haunted by her past and a stalker on the loose, Erik has several mysteries to solve before the curtain falls on opening night.

In the heart of Zurich, Switzerland, three lives scarred by loss and betrayal collide, setting the stage for a journey of healing, love, and redemption. Six-year-old Karla, yearning for the mother she lost too soon, finds solace in her burgeoning talent for painting. Anna, grappling with the wounds of her ex-husband's deceit, becomes both a mentor and a maternal figure to Karla. Meanwhile, Jonas, a widowed artist and teacher, hides behind his grief, carrying a secret from his past that threatens to unravel everything. As Anna and Jonas nurture Karla's gift, their connection deepens into a ...

Although Erik Patko is still coming to terms with a heartbreaking tragedy, he begins his sophomore year of college with high hopes. He earns a headlining role in the drama club production of Curtain Drop, but while the musical is a comedy, the drama backstage is no joke. Scenery is tampered with, students are blackmailed, and four influential families are accused of bribing the dean. While his confidence is shattered and he struggles with his conflicting feelings for his roommate’s sister Priscilla, Erik must discover who’s behind the scandal before his Broadway dreams are derailed ...

Why Shakespeare? What explains our continued fascination with his poems and plays? In Living with Shakespeare, Susannah Carson invites 40 actors, directors, scholars, and writers to reflect on why his work is still such a vital part of our culture.

Book 1 of 4 Parenthood. A momentous occasion which garners joy, unconditional love, and sleepless nights. There is nothing in the world to fully prepare new parents for the responsibility of a new, little life. But, not every birth is joyous or easy. There is a fine line between beautiful life and untimely death during the delicate process. For Simon Gabot, his joy was taken as his wife, Emily, took her last breath giving birth to their son. What should’ve been tears of happiness were replaced with mourning. Down the hall, giving birth to her daughter, was Cherish Montgomery. She watched ...

Gain insights into how to mentally live from the end of your intentions by living in the power of your imagination.

Will following her heart mean denying her dreams? It's not easy being the golden girl. In this Christian Medical Mystery, a gifted young neurologist, Lily Lapree, embarks upon her residency in the teaching hospital where her late father practiced. Longing to try her wings outside the insular nest, the position hadn’t exactly been Lily’s top choice, but the hometown hospital has its perks. Best of all, they’ll help mainstream her live-in sister, Raina, who has special needs. In response to Lily’s promise to keep tabs, they’ll add “Rainy” to their janitorial staff. Though ...

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. Three years after the tragic accident that claimed the life of her brother Harry, Cassidy Evans is still struggling. Determined to focus on her career as an artistic consultant in London; when Cassidy lands the commission of a lifetime she has no choice but to dive in head first. There is only one very tall, very beautiful, man-shaped problem. Her attraction to her new client Rory O’Malley is proving impossible to ignore. Cassidy finds herself falling for Rory and for once she allows herself to be carried away by the ...

Can beauty survive life’s harshest realities? A mystery unfolds in this contemporary retelling of Eleanor H. Porter’s beloved literary classic JUST DAVID, the tale of ten-year-old David, a luminously gifted musician. Why would David’s father, a virtuoso violinist, have raised his prodigy son in seclusion on a mountaintop? Long-hidden secrets unravel when the father dies en route to introduce his guileless son to the people of the valley below. Radiantly naïve, David enters a small town orphaned and alone, knowing only his first name and nothing of his heritage. All David knows is ...

Living on Cape Cod is exceptionally blissful for any tourist or resident: smooth sand and picturesque sunsets, delicious cuisine and relaxing bike rides, and an inseparable friendship who have done everything together since they met in seventh grade. With one term left until Famlouth Academy's graduation, Sarah Sullivan, Alice White, and Makayla Kissoon are torn as they decide one path over another. Sarah, the predicted valedictorian, is so close to achieving her idyllic life with the future Ivy League school and her perfect boyfriend. But when someone close to her is diagnosed with a ...

Comedy and romance, history, and tragedy, Shakespeare's canon has it all. Some 400 years after they were written and first performed, his works still remain fresh and relevant today. Shakespeare: His life and Works is an accessible and lavish celebration of the Bard himself and his 39 plays, great sonnets and narrative poems. Themes, plots, characters and language are brought to life with act-by-act plot summaries, resumes of main characters and in-depth analysis of Shakespeare's use of, and influence on, the English language.

Ancient China. Sixteen-year-old Chen Han, already an accomplished warrior, is accused of a crime he did not commit. The woman who raised him vows to kill him for disgracing her clan. Twelve-year-old Mu Feng leads a small army outnumbered four to one. Amidst the chaos, he discovers what he is capable of, but questions linger over what it means to obey authority. Eleven-year-old Ah Go is a simple village boy who finds his world shattered by barbarian invaders. Everything he knows is destroyed. Would he grow up enslaved to them? Or is he destined to conquer? Three boys. Worlds apart. One ...

William Shakespeare had nothing to do with the actor and moneylender William Shaksper from Stratford-upon-Avon. The man behind the nom de plume "William Shakespeare" was, in fact, a very well-educated aristocrat who often frequented the court of Elizabeth and whose real name was Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford. The dramas of Shakespeare were not written for the Globe Theatre but for the Queen's court.